From neorealists De Sica and Rossellini, to modernists Fellini and Antonioni, to newly minted stars like Paolo Sorrentino and Alice Rohrwacher, Italian directors have left an indelible mark on world cinema.
Continuing a tradition of bringing the latest Italian films to the Stony Brook community, the Center for Italian Studies at Stony Brook University in collaboration with Associazone Culturale Artistic Souls (Rome, Italy), will present “Italy on Screen Today” Edizione IV to promote Italian contemporary cinema. The program will feature six recently produced Italian films, all with English subtitles, marking the 16th consecutive year for the event.
“All these films are recent releases and are examples of what someone who lives in Italy might experience,” said Italian Studies grad student and teaching assistant Antonio Fideleo, who helped coordinate this year’s program.
“One of the unique things about this program is that the films are in Italian,” says Fideleo. “Viewers can’t experience that on platforms like HBO or Netflix.”
The Festival takes place on Saturday and Sunday November 23-24. All films will be shown in the Charles B. Wang Center Theatre, and are free and open to the public.
Films to be shown include:
Bangla (US Premiere)
The story of a young Muslim from Bangladesh who meets an Italian girl from outside his faith and must learn to reconcile his love with his religious beliefs.
Vivere (NY Premiere)
A frustrated freelance journalist and creative developer of fake news struggles to co-exist with his well-to-do mother under the influence of his grandfather, a powerful man of the law.
On My Skin (NY Premiere)
The account of the last days of Stefano Cucchi, who died in police custody in the early hours of October 22, 2009. Earlier this month two Carabinieri officers were found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in Cucchi’s death, a harrowing case of police brutality that shocked Italy and the world. (Trigger Warning: this movie contains scenes violent in nature.)
The Magic Flute at Piazza Vittorio (NY Premiere)
A musical fairy tale inspired by Mozart, dreamed in a magical place in the heart of Rome, Piazza Vittorio, the gardens of which at closing time are places where everything can happen (and where everything does happen).
My Brother Chases Dinosaurs (US Premiere)
Jack’s brother Giò is affected by Down syndrome. As a child, Jack believed that Giò was a special being with superpowers. Now that he is about to go to high school, however, he is almost ashamed of him, especially since he met Arianna, his first love. However, as Jack will learn, Giò has some powerful lessons to teach his brother.
The Mayor of Rione Sanità (US Premier)
Antonio Barracano is a “man of honor,” who distinguishes between “decent people and scoundrels;” around him flourishes a fierce, ambiguous and pained humanity, where good and evil confront each other in a battle that neither can win.
“The films this year deal with some very contemporary issues,” said Fideleo. “Bangla deals with integration from the perspective of modern Italy. My Brother Chases Dinosaurs deals with disability and adolescence, and On My Skin offer a real-life account of police brutality. This is one of the best collections we’ve had.”
Trailers:
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